Berlin zoo elephants snack on Christmas trees

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There was a special delivery to the Tierpark zoo in the former East of the capital this week – left-over Christmas trees for the elephant herd to chow down on.

If you were an African or Asian elephant standing around in -7C temperatures just outside the Berlin city limits, you'd probably feel in need of something to keep you busy and maybe even cheer you up a little.

That's why keepers at the zoo decided to bring in the festive foliage and brighten up a few of the chilly January days for their wards.

"The nutritional value of fir trees is very limited, they mostly just keep them busy. The elephants like to chew on them," a spokeswoman told the Berliner Morgenpost.

Elephants usually eat hay or grass and sometimes get fruit or vegetables in amongst the feed.

An elephant plays with a twig from a Christmas tree in Berlin's Tierpark zoo. Photo: DPA

But both of Berlin's zoos have been offering them unsold Christmas trees from the capital's suppliers – not the forlorn, sometimes partially-decorated ones to be seen by the side of the road in the early days of January.

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Other animals, including kangaroos and zebras, also enjoy eating and playing with the trees.